Roethlisberger Played Super Bowl With Fractured Ribs

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger played in Super Bowl 43 with at least two small rib fractures, according to SI writer Peter King. Roethlisberger did undergo X-rays during Super Bowl week, but he injury did not show up until a post-Super Bowl MRI back in Pittsburgh. The NFL said on Monday that the Steelers were not in violation of league injury report rules when they failed to list Roethlisberger on the injury report during Super Bowl week. The NFL cited the Steelers did report Roethlisberger\’s injury during the bye week, when he missed Wednesday\’s practice with a back ailment. “Ben\’s injury was disclosed in the required injury report the week prior to the team going to Tampa for the Super Bowl,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He was listed throughout that week with a back injury.” The NFL requires teams to report injured players after each practice. There are four designations probable (75% chance of playing); questionable (50% chance) doubtful (25% chance); and out, which means the player is not expected to play. The Steelers continue to say they had “no knowledge” of Roethlisberger\’s rib fractures, and refused to confirm his claim. “To our knowledge, he was ready, willing and able to go and obviously he performed admirably,” Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert told the Post-Gazette. On Thursday of Super Bowl week, a story reported that Roethlisberger had X-rays on his back. He denied it, but later told NBC Sports that he had an X-ray “somewhere” during Super Bowl week. The NFL did not address the X-ray story. But Aiello cited Roethlisberger\’s full participation in practice was witnessed by a news pool reporter that week, and his participation in the game as reasoning for his omission from the injury report.